Latest news with #Peloponnese
Asharq Al-Awsat
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Acropolis Trims Hours Again Amid Greek Heatwave
The Acropolis in Athens will limit its operating hours for a second straight day because of heatwave conditions, the Greek culture ministry said Wednesday. The ministry in a statement said the world-renowned site would be shut till 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) "for the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures." The four-day heatwave confirmed by meteorologists began Sunday and is the second to grip Greece since late June. Temperatures are expected to reach 41 Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, with a maximum of 37 Celsius in Athens, according to national weather service EMY. The Greek civil protection authority has warned of high fire risk in the greater Athens area, in central Greece and the Peloponnese peninsula on Wednesday. The heatwave will abate on Thursday.
Al Arabiya
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Acropolis limits opening hours for second day straight amid heatwave
The Acropolis in Athens will limit its operating hours for a second straight day because of heatwave conditions, the Greek culture ministry said Wednesday. The ministry in a statement said the world-renowned site would be shut till 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) 'for the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures.' The four-day heatwave confirmed by meteorologists began Sunday and is the second to grip Greece since late June. Temperatures are expected to reach 41 Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, with a maximum of 37 Celsius in Athens, according to national weather service EMY. The Greek civil protection authority has warned of high fire risk in the greater Athens area, in central Greece and the Peloponnese peninsula on Wednesday. The heatwave will abate on Thursday.
The Herald
09-07-2025
- Climate
- The Herald
Greece shuts Acropolis for part of day, bans outdoor work at heat soars
Greece shut the Acropolis for several hours in the afternoon on Tuesday as the Mediterranean country baked in its second major heatwave of the season, with temperatures set to soar as high as 41°C. Last week, large parts of Western Europe sweltered in a severe heatwave that left eight dead and triggered forest fires and health alerts across the region. In Athens, temperatures were expected to reach 38°C, forcing authorities to close the Acropolis, its most visited ancient site on a rocky hill offering barely any shade, from 10am to 2pm. Defying the heat, some tourists visited the monument before it shut. 'It's extremely hot. We had to take extra measures. We have little fans for the children. I have the hat, the glasses. We've been drinking lots of water,' said John Howell, 58, a Scottish tourist. With hot air and humidity worsening conditions, authorities ordered some businesses in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, and other areas on the mainland and southern Peloponnese peninsula to limit outdoor work for employees in the afternoon. Builders, food delivery riders, couriers and shipyards workers are among those having to pause work from midday until 5pm to avoid heat stress, the labour ministry said. The heatwave conditions will continue until Wednesday, the Greek meteorological service said, and authorities in the wider Athens and other areas will be on alert for wildfires as gale force winds were expected. Worldwide, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with global temperatures exceeding 1.5°C above the pre-industrial era for the first time. Greece, which sits on Europe's southernmost edge, also had its warmest winter and summer last year on record, including a 16-day heatwave in July, the longest ever, according to scientists. Reuters
Reuters
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Reuters
Greece shuts Acropolis for part of day as heat soars, bans outdoor work
ATHENS, July 8 (Reuters) - Greece shut the Acropolis for several hours in the afternoon on Tuesday, as the Mediterranean country baked in its second major heatwave of the season, with temperatures set to soar as high as 41 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Last week, large parts of Western Europe sweltered in a severe heatwave that left 8 dead and triggered forest fires and health alerts across the region. In Athens, temperatures were expected to reach 38 C, forcing authorities to close the Acropolis, its most visited ancient site, on a rocky hill offering barely any shade, at midday from 1000 GMT until 1400 GMT. Defying the heat, some tourists visited the monument before it shut. "It's extremely hot. So yeah, we had to take extra measures. We have little fans for the children. I have the hat, the glasses. We've been drinking lots of water," said John Howell, 58, a Scottish tourist. With hot air and humidity worsening conditions, authorities ordered some businesses in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, and other areas on the mainland and southern Peloponnese peninsula, to limit outdoor work for employees in the afternoon. Builders, food delivery riders, couriers and shipyards workers are among those having to pause work from midday until 5 p.m. to avoid heat stress, the labour ministry said. The heatwave conditions will continue until Wednesday, the Greek meteorological service said, and authorities in the wider Athens and other areas will be on alert for wildfires as gale-force winds were expected. Worldwide, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with global temperatures exceeding 1.5 Celsius above the pre-industrial era for the first time. Greece, which sits on Europe's southernmost edge, also had its warmest winter and summer last year on record, incuding a 16-day heatwave in July, the longest ever, according to scientists.
France 24
08-07-2025
- Climate
- France 24
Acropolis shuts, outdoor work halted as heatwave scorches Greece
The Greek culture ministry said the world-renowned site would be shut till 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) "for the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures." The four-day heatwave confirmed by meteorologists began Sunday is the second to grip Greece since late June. Temperatures are expected to reach 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, with a maximum of 38 Celsius in Athens. Similar temperatures are expected on Wednesday. To protect outdoor workers, the labour ministry has decreed a work stoppage from 12:00 to 5:00 pm in various parts of the country, including several islands. The stoppage mainly affects construction work and delivery riders. "Days with a heatwave make my job more difficult," cycle-riding courier Michalis Keskinidis told AFP. "We drink a lot of water to protect ourselves from the heat, combined with electrolytes, and take breaks whenever possible," the 43-year-old said. The 2,500-year-old Acropolis, built on a rock overlooking the capital that offers little shade, draws tens of thousands of visitors daily. Last year it recorded some 4.5 million visitors, an increase of over 15 percent compared to 2023. Officials had been forced to order similar shutdowns in the past two years in heatwave conditions. Risk of fire, storms The Greek civil protection authority has warned of high fire risk in the greater Athens area, in central Greece and the Peloponnese peninsula. Greece's fire department has been dealing with up to 50 fires daily, the head of the Greek fire service officers' union Constantinos Tsigkas told state TV ERT. Elsewhere, Serbia's hydrometeorological service RMHZ warned that weather conditions could fuel more fires, after 620 fires were recorded Monday. But there are also thunderstorms expected in Serbia's northern Vojvodina region, as well as in western and central areas. RHMZ has also warned of the possibility of hail and hurricane-force gusts of wind. Croatia has already felt the impact of storms since Monday, with several of the country's regions affected. Two people were injured and hospitalised in Vinkovci after a storm knocked down a power line on a family house near the eastern town, police said. The authorities said they had taken dozens of calls over wind-related emergencies including trees blocking roads, damaged roofs and power failures. On Tuesday, heavy rain and gale-force winds flooded roads, knocked down trees and caused power outages at the Croatian port town of Split, the state-run HRT broadcaster reported. At the town's port, a ferry broke its moorings and hit a catamaran and a tourist excursion boat, sinking the latter. There was similar trouble further north, with storms raging in Hungary and Slovakia. In Budapest, strong winds damaged roofs, felled trees onto roads and downed power lines on Monday, with the national meteorological service HungaroMet measuring winds up to 137 kilometres (85 miles) per hour locally. Rail traffic was severely disrupted across Hungary with full restoration of services potentially requiring weeks, according to Construction and Transport Minister Janos Lazar. In Slovakia, gale-force winds caused power outages and blew off the roof of a block of flats in the eastern town of Gelnica and fallen trees disrupted road and railway transport across the region. The country's weather service SHMU has issued a storm warning with heavy rain, wind and hail for Tuesday, mainly for central and eastern Slovakia. © 2025 AFP
